Ed Rachanski Sr.

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Ed Rachanski Sr. became a “big-league” drag racing driver because of his skill as a mechanic. He first began working as a wrench man on racecars back in 1941. He isn’t as old as you would guess by that date, he was only seven at the time. His father, Ed Rachanski Senior, had been a race mechanic since 1932. Ed started going to racetracks with his father when he was six. By the age of seven he was washing engines parts.

Young Ed grew up in the world of competitive engines. By the time he was 15, he could take apart and completely rebuild the old Ford flathead engine.

He participated in his first drag race when he was 15, at Halfday, Illinois. That first drag car was a 1940 Ford with a Merc engine; He hit 74 mph the first time out with the car. That was really something back then.

Ed had started working as a mechanic on stock cars at oval tracks, and in 1952 and 1953 gave up drag racing to concentrate on being a circle track mechanic. In 1952 and 1953, he did the engine work on a Mercury stocker that raced at the local tracks around his home area of Chicago. Rachanski and Mercury were a potent combination, even in those days.

As if that wasn’t enough to keep him busy he learned to fly in 1953. He has maintained an active pilot’s license since then and currently owns a Cessna Turbo 210. Becoming more interested in aircraft, he enrolled in the Aeronautical University in Chicago, attending it during 1953 and 1954. In addition to becoming a licensed pilot, he also became an Air Force A & E (airframe and engine) aircraft mechanic.

Ed entered the Air Force in 1954. He logged over 1500 hours in the C-119 Flying Boxcar as a Flight Engineer/Crew Chief (Southeast Asia touring Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Formosa, etc.).

Ed was honorably discharged from from regular active Air Force duty in 1958 and remained on inactive duty status until 1962. Ed then decided to cash in on his engine skills. He started his own engine repair and tune-up business in Chicago. That same year he started as a mechanic on 110 Offenhauser Kurtis midgets. In 1960 his mechanical skills helped keep the Michaels Offy competitive in the United States Auto Club Point standings.

In 1962, Ed Rachanski went back to drag racing. He was the mechanic on the Sedlak ‘62 Plymouth super/stocker, a year that racked up the remarkable record of winning 32 out of 33 major meets in the mid-west in one year with old friends Pat Minnick and John Farkonas of Chi­Town Hustler Funny Car fame.

In early 1964 he became partner with friend Gary Dyer in a factory backed drag team sponsored by the Chicago Mercury Dealer’s Assn., “Marauder Comet Drag Team.” In mid 1965, Ed took over the driving responsibilities, as Gary Dyer found excellent opportunity with Mr. Norms Grand Spaulding Dodge funny car program. During this period of time, Ed also began working with Joe Lencki in a long business/friend relationship that spanned over 35 years selling and manufacturing Lenckite. The product is known today as zMax and Avblend.

In 1965 Ed became President of United Drag Racers Association (UDRA), a driver and car owner organization comprised of 3,000 memberships. This organization is still in force and is the largest independent voting car-owner/driver drag racing organization in existence today.

In 1971 he was President and owner of Blueprint Aircraft Engines, Inc., an FAA certified overhaul aircraft engine repair facility. Blueprint was chosen in 1988 by Aviation Consumer as one of the top eight engine rebuild shops in the United States. Blueprint was also selected by Shell Oil to do lubricant testing on helicopter engines assisting Shell’s aviation oil certification.

Ed began a career in aviation accident investigation as an expert witness, investigator, arbitrator and consultant for insurance companies, the Federal Aviation Administration, attorneys, etc., concerning aircraft piston engine failures.

In 1996 Ed became Director of research-development-testing at Oil-Chem Research Corp., the company that manufactures zMax and Avblend.

From 1996 – 2001, in addition to Ed’s primary duties at Oil-Chem Research Corp., Ed raced at Indy. Ed’s Team Blueprint Racing was one of the first teams to join Tony George’s lndy Racing League. The team purchased two Lola’s from Team Menard in 1995. The Lola’s were raced in the IRL in the 1996 season with drivers Johnny Parsons. Jr., and winning Rookie of the Year Jim Guthrie. In 1997, Delara chassis’ were purchased and the team’s best performance of that year was winning the ‘Phoenix 200’ with Guthrie as driver. In the following years, drivers Sam Schmidt. Jimmy Kite. Claude Bourbanais, Billy Roe, and Tyce Carlson drove for Team Blueprint. Blueprint’s best finish at the ‘Indy 500’ was 14th with Tyce Carlson as driver.

Ed’s engine experience, over 50 years. in rebuilding and modifying all types of engines including the Aurora V8 Indy 500 engines has provided him with useful information that is applied to the research and development of zMax. Oil-Chem Research Corp. has three state of the art Labeco CLR Eddy current test engines that are used for modified SAE, ASTM testing protocols. Various A-B tests are performed using up to date engine oils vs. zMax for performance evaluation.

See the Joe Lencki story on how zMAX started.

Go to zMAX.com for more information

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Ed Rachanski Sr. Story		Joe Lencki Story		3rd Kurtis Built Offy Now on Display		Lenki’s Blue Crown Spark Plug Special #8